Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds or it's characters, nor the cover image. The song All of Me is sung by John Legend, produced by Dave Tozar and Legend, and written by Toby Gad and Legend. I do own the fic though, just not the lyrics of the music.
A/N: Each break after the stanzas take place at different times, even different worlds (AU), so don't let that trip you up:) Sorry, this is a long one, but I put my heart and soul into it.
What would I do without your smart mouth,
Drawing me in, and you kicking me out?
Got my head spinning, no kidding, I can't pin you down.
What's going on in that beautiful mind?
I'm on your magical mystery ride.
And I'm so dizzy, don't know what hit me, but I'll be alright.
"Can we please get a kitten?"
Yuusei scowls over at her, trying to decide if he should be irritated or amused at the fact that this is her tenth time asking today. His cobalt eyes trail back down to his laptop balancing on his legs, frowning wistfully at the written passage he has to get back to the laboratory soon. His girlfriend has been distracting him all Sunday morning, though. Not that he minds, but still...
"Aki, I already said we'd think about it once we have enough money."
She purses her lips, pouting childishly. "You're no fun~"
He blows a raspberry in retort, beginning to type at the keyboard again. "When we have money to spare, Aki."
It's been about a week since then, after dragging this out to the point where he fears his patience will splinter and split after hearing the 'kitten plea' so many times. Yuusei hadn't known just how much she adored the animals until recently, and he mentally slapped himself for never realizing this before. There was a fricken reason that her phone screensaver was of a cat in a yellow gift box.
So that afternoon, ensuing those long days of nail-biting, scheming, and searching for the one, Yuusei executes his idea. He's had enough and quite frankly...he wouldn't mind a little addition to the home... Saving up some cash in a drawer helped, too.
When she comes home, Aki nearly drops her purse.
Yuusei is sitting on the couch like usual, but this time, there's a fairly large gift box in his lap where his legs are crisscrossed. He looks up at her and sighs thickly, beckoning her closer with two fingers.
Confused and a little worried, Aki sets down her purse and shoulders off her white coat, making her way over to his side. When she's right in front of him, standing with her arms folded over her abdomen, she inquires in a suspicious voice, "What do you have there...?"
Yuusei is smiling when he mutters in an aloof sort of way, "You're too persuasive for your own good."
With that, he opens the lid and lifts out the fluffy white kitten - so small that it fits in his palm perfectly - which blinks up at Aki with large, innocent eyes and lets out the most pathetic mewing sound ever. Aki loves it the moment they make eye contact.
My head's underwater,
But I'm breathing fine.
You're crazy and I'm out of my mind.
The water is cold, like it always is. The salty air is pleasant, refreshing, buffeting their hair softly with the sea breeze. The weak waves of the ocean hit his legs, dampening the ends of the jeans he's rolled up to just below his knees.
Aki's arms wrap loosely around his neck and her chin rests on his shoulder, lids of her eyes lowered halfway peacefully. Yuusei is carrying her on his back, arms positioned under her thighs as he strolls through the shallow tide. It's a lazy afternoon, far from the extra weight of work and everyday life.
The sun, swollen and bright red, sets over the horizon, leaving a shine on the large, distant ripples. The sky is painted many colors, a beautiful canvas of orange, scarlet, and hints of blue and purple. A group of gulls squawk overhead, riding the air currents.
Yuusei gazes down at the cerulean liquid he wades through, careful not to lose his footing. "I like your dress today," he mentions.
Aki rolls her eyes. "It's an old one." The pink clothe still looks nice against her pale, smooth skin, with the ribbon around her waist streaming out behind her.
He smiles gracefully, moving towards deeper water. Aki lifts an eyebrow curiously, suddenly on edge.
"W-What are you doing? Yuusei?"
Her fingers grab hold of his white, button-up shirt and he chuckles to himself. Yuusei comes to a stop when the ocean has lapped up past his knees, soaking his pants further. She questions him again, but all he does is purse his lips, mutters a quick "Hold your breath", and falls forward into the sea.
Aki screams, scrambling to her feet, tossing the sticky strands of hair from her wet face. She glares at Yuusei, who sit up in the tide and grins at her playfully. Immediately, both are running clumsily through the waves and up onto the beach. Aki chases that bastard across the sand for a long time afterward, the two of them laughing. When she catches him, the woman sits on his chest after he'd tripped and rolled onto the ground. He grunts and smirks.
At the end of the night, the only evidence that they'd ever been there are the footprints left behind.
'Cause all of me, loves all of you.
Love your curves and all your edges;
All your perfect imperfections.
Give your all to me,
I'll give my all to you.
"This sucks."
"That's a...very light way of putting it..."
They are two drafted teenagers, one a man of seventeen years - more like a child - who was dragged away from his foster house to fight. The other is a woman - but no one else knows that. It's like the ancient story, a folk tale about a Chinese female who disguised herself as a male to join the army. Only this is America, and this is a modern day war with machine guns and tanks and all that fun stuff that kills you instantly.
They've narrowly escaped with their lives at what will one day be called The Battle of Red Flags. Half of their platoon hasn't made it back and those who have are all mildly or critically injured.
They are rather fortunate.
The actual man, a boy named Yuusei, bandages his own glass-cut arm so medics can attend to more serious wounds. He keeps gritting his teeth and cursing under his breath as he has to stop the process over and over again to dig out rogue shards.
The blood on his body is making the undercover lady sick. She touches just above her heart, where she's bound her breasts to look more like a chesty guy. Around her waist is padded so her curves are hidden better. For all anyone knows, she is just a kid who got dragged into something he's soon going to die from due to physical weakness.
Her name is Aki, which is actually more of a masculine sound, but her parents had loved it too much. Therefore, she hasn't had to change her title to secure her charade.
Aki hisses through her clamped jaw as she cleans the gash on her calf.
"This sucks," she growls again.
Her new companion, a soldier who has accidentally walked in on her dressing and now knows her true identity, glares over at her with his blue stare. "Again, far too light of a description."
You're my end and my beginning;
Even when I lose, I'm winning.
'Cause I give you all of me.
And you give me all of you, oh~
"You're such an old man."
He peers up from his newspaper questioningly. "And this is new because...?"
His spouse of thirty-nine years lowers herself onto the couch beside him, releasing a soft oof as she hits the cushion. They fit nicely, having sat in these places for so, so long. Her graying hair, still retaining a couple of burgundy strands that hide from first glance, is pulled into a small ponytail.
Yuusei lucked out more somehow. His own black shocks must have had some damn good genes, because although he, too, has gone a little silver, the dark, soft appearance remains.
She snickers softly. "No one reads the paper anymore, stupid."
Yuusei glowers at that one. "Guess I'm still into 'decrepit' habits."
Aki rests her head against his arm, exhaling quietly. He shifts so that the same arm is around her back and his hand is resting on her hip. So she places her cheek in the crook of his neck, making herself comfortable.
They've been together for so long.
And it ain't over yet.
How many times do I have to tell you,
Even when you're crying you're beautiful, too?
The world is beating you down, I'm around through every mood.
Her delicate fingers trail along the glass edges of it, shivering and hesitant to trace the designs. Her eyes are damp, but strong, choking back the threatening tears. Shaking hands lower the mask into her lap, heavy with the sins of her past. She stares, unblinking and weary, at the visor that had once hidden her identity as a human being.
Her chest clenches painfully and she curls up on the bed, clasping her palm against her mouth to suppress a sob. The other still holds the shattered face of the Black Rose Witch, quivering and cold.
There's a soft knock at the door and the young woman gulps down her sorrow and lifts her amber gaze to the source. Mama or Papa must have been wondering what was wrong, since she hadn't allowed them to come in for the past hour. Their daughter had required some alone time.
"Come in," she whispers in a voice that's hoarse and barely audible.
She smothers the sight of the veil with her fists as the door creaks open slowly, hesitantly.
The girl is surprised to see a pair of dark, cobalt eyes, clouded with concern and understanding. The man comes to sit beside her, glancing at her once, as if asking permission. She nods slightly, granting it, and the black-haired boy takes a seat a foot or two away from her on the mattress.
The once-murderer lifts her gaze to meet his, and he doesn't smile, but the look on his tattooed face is enough to portray what he wants it to.
A warm hand places itself on top of her's gently and squeezes softly, in a way that's assuring.
They are two people from two very different worlds, who have lived through very different things. And yet, because of unknown circumstances, ones that even they do not fully comprehend, they can relate to each other. She knows why that guy is so quiet and pulled into himself. He knows why that lady is so broken on the inside and hard on herself.
"It'll be alright..."
And she believes him, lets her tears fall, and decides then that she will put her faith and trust in this Satellite until the end of her days, when Hell opens its beckoning arms to her and she leaves this plane forever.
You're my downfall, you're my muse.
My worst distraction, my rhythm and blues.
I can't stop singing, it's ringing in my head for you~
They're going on their honeymoon.
They hold their individual suitcases (although some of her extra womanly stuff is sharing room in his, not that he retorts, just accepts it and rolls his eyes), handles grasped tight with excitement.
Yuusei places his hand on his hip with slackened muscles, the stress of wedding planning and anxiety of following through with it at all completely washed away. He smiles to himself, finally able to relax a little on their couple vacation. Aki is grinning, too, with her luggage set on the tiled floor by her feet and hands folded in her lap. Both are standing in the middle of the always crowded airport, brimming with happiness.
Her skinny jeans, purple blouse, and heeled, leather boots make her look gorgeous (like always). He inwardly grins, knowing he gets to sit by that beauty for the entire ride- for the rest of their lives together.
Around the building, there's a radio playing, and Aki is tapping her foot to the beat.
She stops, however, when their song comes on.
It's the song that was playing in the car when he first picked her up after she transferred hospitals back to Neo Domino. The song that blasted in the first bar they visited a week later. The song they flicked on to sway and jive to at their wedding. It is simply their song.
She simpers at him in a sly fashion, and Yuusei dips his head knowingly.
He reaches out and takes her hand as she leans into him, sliding from side to side energetically, skillfully, in a way that wouldn't normally be done in the middle of a public place. Yuusei twirls her and her silver necklace whips through the air and catches his eye. They dance together until their song comes to a close - only to find that half of the airport is watching them and applauding.
My head's underwater,
But I'm breathing fine.
You're crazy and I'm out of my mind~
Izayoi Aki is a professional cop, a lady of the law. It's her job to track down, arrest, and throw corrupt citizens behind bars. She is not one to crumble under pressure, she can think clearly in every situation, and she has never once failed in a mission. Rookies respect her; even the higher-ups regard her abilities as a policewoman.
She has made countless incarcerations, never regretting a single one. Because every guy, girl, and delinquent has deserved the fate they've gotten. Before seeing them off to prison, Aki always glances up at the ceiling and prays to whoever is up there that He rights the lives of those she puts away.
But no one - absolutely no one - has ever given Aki a run for her money like this.
He's a trespasser, a thief, has even killed a man before.
Aki has him at the top of her list, and when evidence shows of his appearance, she's the first on the scene. He's escaped her clutches so many times she's lost calculation of it.
But this time, she's determined to capture him.
The sky is overcast with heavy, gray clouds and city smog. Traffic has slowed down, rush hour finally at an end. The squad is stationed strategically around the group of select blocks. Aki holds the gun in her hand expertly, stepping through the alley on silent steps that an assassin would be jealous of. Her uniform is flawless - just another part of the job she takes seriously. Her burgundy hair is tied up in a tight bun, out of her way.
The connection piece in her ear sends her coordinates and Aki heeds them immediately.
Izayoi Aki has never taken pity on a person who has murdered before.
But the sight of this ruined man sitting on the cold, concrete floor in the corner of the warehouse, back pressed against the wall firmly, arms resting on his knees, disturbs something deep within her. When she approaches him cautiously, firearm loaded and ready, he lifts his cobalt gaze to meet her's. There's a certain sadness in that dark blue that makes her heart skip a beat and her fingers curls around the metal tighter. His black and blonde hair is messy, unkempt, like he's been running from the law for his entire life.
"Fudou Yuusei," she murmurs, "you're under arrest for the murder of Police Identity Z-ONE, A.K.A. Mr. Z. Meklord of the enforcement." She tells him his rights and allows her joining squad to cuff him and lead him outside.
The weather has taken a turn for the worse, rain beginning to fall and litter the sidewalks with heavy liquid drops. Aki frowns over at this man who stands with two cops on either side of him, hands on his shoulders. His chin is angled down, relief written on his face.
She turns to him and asks softly, "Why...?"
Yuusei glances up at her and smiles in a way that breaks her heart. "He wasn't one of you. He was going to execute a woman named Izayoi Aki. I didn't know who that was...but when someone has a knife to your throat, do you defend yourself, or die, knowing you let someone else die with you?"
Aki never sees him again after that.
When she's alone in her room, the night after that boy's death penalty follow-through, she tries to suppress the nausea, and ultimately fails.
'Cause all of me, loves all of you.
Love your curves and all your edges;
All your perfect imperfections.
Give your all to me,
I'll give my all to you.
It's pouring out and it's really inconvenient.
Aki holds the jacket over her head, exasperated and soaked to the bone. It's freezing and everything is even more annoying because the guy next to her doesn't even seem fazed.
"Aren't you cold?" she asks, disbelief in her tone. She's shivering but trying to hide it.
Yuusei looks at her out of the corner of his eye, wet hair dripping and clothes hugging his form from the load of water being dumped on them. It's night, so she can only see his face through the illuminated street lights. His voice is even and calm when he says, "I grew up in the Satellite, I'm used to this sort of weather."
It might be pity that's suddenly filled her heart, but Aki neglects to say anything. Instead, she straightens, dropping the coat from atop her head, letting the already damp burgundy become sodden instantly. Yuusei's gaze widens a little.
"But that doesn't mean you are," he states, spinning on his heel so he's facing her. "Put that back on."
Aki sticks out her tongue defiantly. "I'm human, and so are you. If you can survive this, so can I." Because logic.
He shakes his head incredulously and reaches for her jacket, but she holds it out of his reach. She has a twinkle of mischief in her irises and Yuusei seems somewhat miffed. Then he closes his eyes and dips his head. "You'll get sick...or hypothermia."
"Well, too bad. I'll cover up when you do."
"I don't have anything to hide under."
Aki frowns thoughtfully, using her free hand to put a finger to her chin. "We could share."
"You'd still be rained on," Yuusei groans, trying and failing to grasp hold of her coat again. As he does so, though, his boot skids through a puddle and he stumbles forward.
His friend is about to laugh when she, too, trips on a crack in the slippery sidewalk, doing down with him at the same time. In midair, he catches her, flipping her body on top of his so he can break her fall. The sound of Yuusei hitting concrete isn't too pleasant and she immediately asks if he's alright (while she's laying on his chest oh so awkwardly).
Yuusei lies there for a moment, not moving. After a minute, though, he breathes, "I'm good. Nothing's broken."
She giggles a little, trying to get up but slipping again, collapsing against his chest once more. "I-I'm so sorry!" But when she looks to see if he's angry, she finds him smiling.
"It's fine, Aki," he chuckles, grabbing hold of her shoulders lightly. She squeaks pitifully as he flips her onto the sidewalk, hovering above her. The downpour is strong as ever, both of them practically drowned. She gazes up at him, lips parted slightly as he gives an amused sort of sniff.
Aki is the first to admit that it had to be the best 'in the rain' kiss ever. She can relay every detail, right down to the taste of his tongue and the scent of the skin along his jawbone - not that she's ever told anyone.
You're my end and my beginning.
Even when I lose I'm winning.
'Cause I give you all of me,
And you give me all of you, oh~
Give me all of you~
"It wasn't my fault..."
"I don't care!"
"...Sorry?"
Aki moans, putting a hand to her forehead, apparently just done. Her white doctor's coat hangs limply around her frame, like she is drained of energy. She opens a nearby cupboard in the emergency room unit and takes out the necessary tools for stitching open cuts. The medic shoots a terrifying look over at her patient, as if warning him not to push her too far.
The car crash hadn't been fatal - luckily - but the people caught in it had still been knocked around pretty good. In the other room was the intoxicated citizen who had slammed into Yuusei's vehicle on his way to work.
"To think you ended up in my care," Aki spits, taking great concern in cleaning his wounds. His own coat is folded over in the corner of the room, torn and stained.
Yuusei sits on her examination table, arms leaned on his thighs, eyes tired from the adrenaline leaving him. He's a complete wreck, but alive and breathing fine. No concussion, no vital organs harmed - still has his witty comebacks and stupid positive attitude. "I'm sorry, Aki..."
"It wasn't your fault," she relents at the obvious guilt in his words. "Just...you really scared me, Yuusei..."
He lifts his cobalt gaze to take in the features of his distressed fiance. He holds out the palm of his hand, wincing as his muscles spasm in protest, and strokes her cheek. "I'm sorry."
She sternly and reluctantly presses her lips to his, and tells him, "Never do that again."
Cards on the table, we're both showing hearts,
Risking it all, though it's hard.
She is of royalty, the daughter of the King and Queen, the princess of her kingdom.
Her name is Izayoi Aki, and she will one day have to marry into another noble family. That is how it works in the world; alliances are formed with successors' weddings. That will never be changed. Cannot.
But there is a secret that the young woman keeps from everyone but one man. Why? Because that man is the secret.
When Aki sits on her throne beside her father and mother, the knight who stands to her right never once allows his eyes to leave her. It is his duty to protect her at all costs, for he is the bodyguard of the monarchical girl. And so very often, she steals a glance at him, and he's always there to meet it briefly. He always offers a sheepish smile in reply, and she blushes slightly.
It is a hidden relationship that will never work out.
Fudou Yuusei, guardian of the princess, son of the deceased Man in Arms, will never stop loving her, though. He is a lowly knight, but he has seen what Aki truly is inside. He has witnessed her laugh, cry, and the 'purity' that an unwed ruler should have has been taken by him. He knows full well that she will one day be whisked away by a fair-haired prince and made his own. It makes him cringe, but he's accepted this.
Yet despite that ugly reality, even after Aki has been engaged to a boy she hasn't even met, they rendezvous in her chamber. Her back is bare of the tight clothing she must always wear as she sits on the edge of her bed, staring out the open window placed in the brick wall. Yuusei removes his sword from his belt and pulls off the leather strapped against his chest and limbs and goes to sit by her.
He wraps an arm around her shoulders gently and whispers, "If he touches you in a way you dislike, I will hear of it." She smiles and he continues. "I will accept the punishment of death if it means I can rid your life of a sick man."
Now Aki is giggling, and bids him a sincere thank you before pressing her body closer to his, and both enjoy their final night together.
'Cause all of me, loves all of you.
Love your curves and all your edges;
All your perfect imperfections.
Give your all to me,
I'll give my all to you.
"So much crap!" Aki growls, throwing down her stack of papers indignantly. She huffs loudly and irritably, and her husband scowls sourly. He knows this'll be hard to maneuver around.
"Homework?"
"Don't call it that," she mutters, flipping her pen in the air absentmindedly. "Being a doctor is nice and all, but the shit that it comes with is ridiculous." She's referring to the piles of papers, administrations, and documents that all have to be filled out by tomorrow and it's stressing her out.
Yuusei is on the couch a few feet away, peering over at his wife while she pouts over at the table. He sighs inaudibly, glancing at his own 'homework' and pencil. Knowing that'll have to be done later, he pushes himself to his feet and walks over to Aki's side. His lips curl into a small smirk as he snakes his arms around her waist, setting his forehead by her collarbone.
"What are you doing? I need to concentrate!" she yelps, though he can hear the amusement in her voice.
Yuusei moves so he can look in her eyes. There's a sort of no-nonsense aura swirling in those amber orbs and he treads carefully. "Sit here, take it easy, don't rip out too much hair. I'll make dinner tonight."
"You can't cook to save your life," Aki points out flatly.
He acts offended, letting go of her warm form and heading for the kitchen. "I may surprise you."
Aki shakes her head, watching his dark head and white lab coat disappear through the doorway and glaring down at her 'homework'.
In the other room, Yuusei dials her favorite restaurant for takeout.
You're my end and my beginning.
Even when I lose I'm winning.
'Cause I give you all of me,
And you give me all of you.
Aki beams up at him with tired but glimmering amber eyes. He smiles back.
The room is so, so quiet, so serene and perfect. The machines beep, of course, but it's drowned out by the woman's recovering, weary gasps and the sound of her husband sitting beside her on the bed. The white sheets have sweat splotches on them - not that he really gives a damn. It's a reminder of how hard she has worked.
He sets his hand on top of her's and murmurs, "She's beautiful..."
Aki replies, fatigued and slurring a little, "I know...I know, Yuusei..."
He pulls her closer and he pecks her flushed cheek lovingly, casting his blue eyes down to memorize every detail of the bundle in his wife's arms. He embraces the new mother as reassuringly as he possibly can, all the while trying to calm himself down on the inside.
The baby twitches her lids, as if trying to function, and Aki's already tender features soften, melting at the precious sight. "We did it... You were right."
"Told you," he whispers, squeezing her arm. "And we'll get through the next parts, too."
Aki kisses him briefly and gazes back down at her new daughter, humming in return, "I've given my all to you, Yuusei. And you've done the same for me. If we can give everything to our little girl, too, then...I think we can do this."
Her partner reaches out stiffly and pokes his child's tiny hand, delicately so she doesn't break, and the infant grips hold of Yuusei's finger gingerly. Her father knows she will grow up to be a strong person. "Don't worry; we will. I know it."
I give you all of me,
And you give me all of you, ohh~